elreg

Great skydiving spot for beginners and advanced skydivers.
Operates two Pilatus, so even in busy week-ends, you don't wait long.
Of note: there is a wind tunnel on site, a bit small (will take two), but very convenient for an AFF student who needs some extra coaching. Also freeflyers can practice in parallel to actual jumping.
The packing area is brand new and spacious.
The instructor team is very professional and friendly, will cater to any needs, from beginner to intermediate to advanced.
Food is terrific, operated by a very efficient couple, at very decent rates. Basically, you don't need to go shopping (and in any case, it would be some distance).
Housing is a bit old and pretty cramped quarters, possibly allowing for 20-30, 3-4 per room. But bedding is new and tidy. Better bring your own sleeping bag.
Showers, more generally, the sanitation area are decent and functional.

Cahors is a tremendous DZ for beginners all the way to competitors.

The amenities are great and inexpensive, to include 12 euros per day for three meal deals, cooked on the spot by a wonderful lady and her team.

Super large DZ means virtually risk-free landings.
Two Pilatus and very competent pilots mean you never wait for long.

Open all days during a long season (May through early October), otherwise during week-ends and seasonal holidays (Easter and so on). Splendid weather (this is the South of France).

Beginners can do AFF (the French version, called PAC) and also static line (means you pay half price, basically, as compared with AFF).
A number of teams train here, they also have competent instructors for FF and wingsuit. Also CRW - a relative rarity - and lots of traditional RW. So you seldom wait.

Since it is a bit difficult to get there, most people (like me) organise to spend a full week on the spot. It is comparatively inexpensive, to include free accommodation and cheap (but very tasty) food.
I definitely recommend.

I have been there three times in winter (2011 to 2013), for a week or so. The team is a mix Moroccan-French, operating under French Federation regulations. All very friendly. The drop zone package goes with the hotel in town (reasonable rates, some 30 euros per day with breakfast and dinner included), lunch on the spot (traditional Moroccan cuisine at 6 euros per day), ferry to and fro for 2 euros per day. People come here to jump, period, which means everyone from breakfast to last drink is fully devoted to skydiving. In practice, you depart the hotel at 0800 and come back at 1900-2000, after a busy day at the DZ.
With two Pilatus, there is no wait, I have done up to ten jumps in a day. There are good coaches but people who want to do RW should mostly expect to self-coach.
The packing area is large enough (and sheltered), the landing zone comfy (grass), lunch is fun, weather fantastic, and the people on and off the DZ are wonderful and welcoming. There is a large assortment of rigs for rent and the packers (all locals) are very professional (though I never use one).
Great zone to do an AFF, or for a team to log lots of jumps. The area is not the most touristic of the country by far. Basically, people come here very focused on jumping and nothing else.

DZ St Florentin is a bit lost in the middle of nowhere, but it has all the attractions of a remote sanctuary for RW. Polo (Grisoni), Manu and others provide an unparalleled quality of coaching, at very affordable prices. People who make the journey here expect to raise their standards by two or three degrees and they are not disappointed. Coaching is world class, with time and attention for all, beginners as well as competitors. Besides, the atmosphere is very chummy, with a club house run by a bunch of extremely devoted and friendly chums.
Being in the middle of nowhere has some advantages: the aircraft can take off until sunset and jumps at 6,000 meters (20,000 ft) are organised regularly. If you are serious about improving, this is the place.

Fretoy is a very friendly paraclub, pretty good at getting you in the air provided weather is OK. When the weather is so-so, they have problems filling the plane for a try. That is true of many joints, of course... When the weather is fine, then they are quite good at doing about 20 Pilatus-loads in a day.
The accomodation is austere but intimate: basic wooden huts for 2 or 3 and a central bungalow for amenities.
The club house is run by a bunch of volunteers who get sandwiches on order for midday and generally organise a bbq or other nice food for those who stay over Saturday night. I have often seen crowds of 30 to 50 and raucous parties. Which means that Sunday morning is not always very efficient, unfortunately.
The DZ is just out of the hangars, it is quite small but has a tuffet. No problem for beginners, though, because of the fields all around.
Rates are on the lower side of the French scale.
I recommend for leisure jumping with friendly people, probably not for a team preparing for the World Meet.

I went to Moorsele on a cold winter sunday. There are enough crazy Belgians wanting to rent a Caravan, so I did three jumps in half a day. The rates are more than reasonable, the atmosphere is professional but without the pressure. People are here to have fun, not necessarily to prepare the Dubai meet (though some belong there also).
From what I saw, it is mostly RW, with a sprinkling of free fly, but that is the little I saw. After the jumps are over, everyone gangs up for beer, very much like the good old times.
I strongly recommend for the ambiance, the easy and cheap jumps.

THIS IS AN UPDATE OF A PREVIOUS REVIEW.

Since 2014, the DZ has built brand new facilities, for housing, showers and so on, to include a nice sports room, separate offices for briefings/debriefings, and redone packing area.
All the rest, about the coaching, remains.
I fully concur with the previous review, that Saumur is a friendly place.

For skydiving, it is very good. There is a good selection of rigs available for those who need to rent one, but I recommend you come early to be sure you get the one you want.

In terms of coaching, there is some very good staff, but they are not necessarily available for instant, individualised coaching. I recommend you take advantage of the dedicated weeks and week-ends, when visiting coaches are around. In normal circumstances, you are generally left to your own devices and whatever coaching you will get will depend on what the guy was doing at the time. this is true of many clubs, of course.

So in pure skydiving terms, it is a serious joint that gets you up in the air.
By the way, the midday interruption is not due to French laziness but an imposition, from the locals. By rights, they are entitled to a one hour break sometime around midday. Which suits most people fine, actually.

I go there for one week every year and enjoy it. It just happens that people with questionable manners sometimes come too. But that is not a show-stopper.

Besancon La Vèze is a small joint, operating on week-ends. The staff is "benevole", meaning they do it for free, because it is their passion. Nonetheless, this being France, they do have the required qualifications, and this being the Jura, near Switzerland, they have a perfectionist approach to safety. So they are a bit cheaper than elsewhere, but not cheap in the derogatory sense.

The Pilatus has the most powerful turbine, which enabled them to do five jumps per hour at 2,500 m during a CRW French national. It's pretty fast going up.

Also, the club has a very family feeling about it, with the ladies organising lunch and the traditional Saturday bbq, for a small charge (here again, a non-profit organisation).
The DZ is quite small, which is good because it means beginners focus on navigation from Jump One.
There is no professional rigger permanently on station, though I have met two who come for fun and will take care of your rig during the week - and pack a reserve on the spot in case of emergency.

There are rooms and amenities, a kitchen with all you need if you prefer to do your own cooking, a small camping area.

The only limitation is in numbers: it is a small club, in an area without much of a population, so the Pilatus is often idle while people are packing. But I have done days with six to eight jumps, so the impression of slow activity does not necessarily translate into a day lost.
For non-French speakers, chances are you will find at least two or three guys and gals who can manage.

Really, if there is a family joint with the distinct atmosphere of not-for-profit skydiving, this is it.

Maubeuge is a large DZ, generally ranking 3rd for jumps in the year (22,000 approx).
Since 2011 it operates a Caravan and a Pilatus, so is not short of lift, to include for 8-ways. Tandems do not crowd out the others.

The team is very professional and does its best to put people in the air, even in marginal weather, which is quite acceptable considering the size of the DZ and the fact it is in the middle of nowhere. I read, in one comment posted a few years ago, that it was short in English speakers. Well, I can tell you it is not the case, to start with Dédé Vanhaudenard and Paul Minjauw, the technical staff, and many other members are proficient enough to brief, debrief, generally assist English speakers. Military of various nations from nearby SHAPE with zero French language skills have no problems.
There often are Dutch teams around, which makes Maubeuge very much a tri-nation club (with the Belgians nearby, of course!). This makes for the right combination of professionalism and decontraction.

Many RW teams train here, to include the World Champions, and coaching is accessible at very good rates, quite often in the season, to include vertical RW and freestyle.
For beginners, both options are available, AFF and traditional, at average rates.

What singles out Maubeuge is its new infrastructure, since 2008. Accomodation for more than 50 people in a spacious building, rooms of 2 or 3, all amenities available. The club house is open during the week-ends and you can get good food at reasonable rates (8-15 euros). There is a large camping area with showers and toilets close by.

The area for packing is pretty basic and can get crowded, but it is good enough.
I do accuracy and enjoy a very large pea pit, but regret the absence of a tuffet. That said, being the only one...

Given its infrastructure, this place has a potential for 30,000 jumps per year. All it takes is you (and friends).